Sunday 1 January 2012

Wansfell Pike

Summit Wall (and lunch shelter)
The new year starts, with a walk from Waterhead. I walked up past Stagshaw gardens and on up to pick up the Skelghyll track which climbs through the mature woodland to Jenkin Crag. The view from here is excellent, on a clear day, alas today the cloud was low so rather restricted. The bridleway rises to High Skelghyll before descending to Hol Beck, famous in it's upper reaches for the beds of Trilobites. These small fossils are in the beds of slate hereabouts. I was brought here one evening as part of the Lakes School geology club, one of a number of visits to interesting sites in the area surrounding the school. Climbing away from the beck I branched of along "Hundreds Lane", this is a permissive footpath which after a kilometre or so it meets the more popular footpath from troutbeck. Through the wall and the path rises gently at first and then steeply until the summit is reached. The wind was gusting strongly, so shelter was sought behind the was to eat my butties. The mist/low cloud was just on the top, but this hadn't deterred lots of folks from making the steep ascent from Ambleside. I jogged down the pitched path to the road above Stock Ghyll. I had walk round the waterfalls of Stock Ghyll, then back through Ambeside and eventually Waterhead and the car. I had been lucky the rain had held off whilst I was out.
Today's footwear of choice:- New Balance 606 All Terrain, worn today with Goretex socks!

2 comments:

  1. You're a lucky boy living in Shangrila. Who cares about the weather!

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  2. You're right there Robin, as they say "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad (wrong?) clothing!" I try and get out pretty much whatever the weather, but sometimes the mind wins out over the madness. Looking at you're posts it takes a fair bit to put you off anyway.

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